Saucy, beefy, and so satisfying. We’re convinced this is the BEST recipe for a homemade Sloppy Joe. Ground beef in a hearty tomato sauce served on toasted hamburger buns is a great idea for lunch or dinner. Everyone needs a great and nostalgic recipe for Sloppy Joes and THIS. IS. IT.
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Helpful Reader Review
“Soooo yummy! Took me years to find a sloppy joe recipe like the one I remember from childhood. This is it. Thank you!” – Kathy ★★★★★
This delicious Sloppy Joe recipe is a simple and inexpensive way to make a budget-friendly family dinner. The tender and juicy ground beef is sautéed with green peppers and onions, then cooked in a hearty and flavorful tomato sauce – it’s hard to stop at just one sandwich, which is why I often double the recipe.
Having some go-to ground beef recipes, such as Cheeseburger Sliders, Taco Salad, or Sloppy Joes, will make dinner time a breeze. If you have some ground beef in the freezer and need an easy meal idea, this is a must-try.
Sloppy Joes Video
This is one of my children’s favorite recipes – it’s so satisfying, and they both agree it’s better than any other sloppy joe they have tried. I just love that my son helped me cook it in the video, and my daughter got in on the taste test because these sandwiches are irresistible.
Ingredients for the Best Sloppy Joes
- Ground Beef – use lean ground beef (85-90% lean). If using a higher fat content, you will need to skim off the extra fat once the beef is cooked so you don’t end up with greasy sloppy joes. You can sub the beef with ground chicken or turkey if you prefer.
- Bell pepper – we used green, but you can substitute a different color in a pinch. If you like things spicy, add some jalapenos along with the green peppers. If you aren’t a fan of bell pepper, you can substitute 1 grated carrot (about 1/2 cup).
- Onion & Garlic – these aromatics add great flavor and disappear into the sauce, so picky eaters won’t complain.
- Homemade Sauce – just a few simple pantry ingredients will make a sauce that’s better than any store-bought sauce. The combination of tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, yellow mustard, and Worcestershire hits all the right flavor notes: sweet, savory, and tangy.
How to Make Sloppy Joes
- Make sauce – In a bowl, combine tomato sauce, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, and brown sugar.
Natasha’s tip if you love it spicy
If you prefer a spicy Sloppy Joes, add some hot sauce or sriracha to the sauce.
- Saute beef – In a deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and break up as it is being cooked. Season with salt and pepper. If you see extra fat on the bottom, tilt the pan and spoon it out.
- Sautee veggies – Add in the finely chopped onion and green pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add sauce – Pour in the sauce and once it comes to a light boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add more salt and pepper if needed (see the Sloppy Joe Tasting Guide below to adjust to your taste preferences easily).
- Serve – I highly recommend buttering the buns and toasting them in a skillet for another layer of flavor. Spoon the saucy beef mixture on toasted buns and serve as sandwiches.
To Serve
There are so many different ways to enjoy a sloppy joe. You’ll want to try them all:
- Classic – Serve this with toasted hamburger buns for the classic sloppy joe recipe.
- Grilled Cheese – Add the meat mixture when making a Grilled Cheese for a hearty sandwich.
- Pizza – Add on homemade overnight pizza dough and top with cheese for a sloppy joe pizza.
- Loaded fries– There is nothing better than loaded fries, top your air fryer French fries with cheese and sloppy joe filling.
- Chili dogs – Add the meat sauce to your hot dogs.
- Baked potato – Take a loaded air fryer baked potato to the next level by topping it with this meat sauce.
Can I make Sloppy Joes in a slow cooker?
These EASY sloppy joes are GREAT to make in the crockpot. Once the meat is browned on a skillet, just add it along with all the other ingredients into the crockpot and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
What is the difference between a Sloppy Joe and a Manwich?
This sloppy joe recipe is homemade and made from scratch. Manwich is a pre-made, store-bought sauce used to make sloppy joes.
Make-Ahead and Storage
- Refrigerating – Let the meat sauce cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Freezing – Once the mixture is cooled, add to freezer-friendly containers or freezer bags and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheating – A general rule of thumb is that it’s best to reheat a recipe the same way it was cooked. Warm the meat sauce on the stovetop in a skillet or saucepan until hot. You can microwave, but use a microwave shield to catch messy splatter.
There’s no match for a warm homemade sandwich, from Hamburgers to my famous Philly Cheesesteak. This Sloppy Joe Recipe is definitely at the top of my list. What is your favorite sandwich? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup*
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard, or to taste
- 2-3 tsp brown sugar, or to taste*
For the Sloppy Joes
- 1 Tbsp extra light olive oil, or any high-heat cooking oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef, 85%-90% lean
- ½ tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 small green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced, or use 1/2 cup grated carrot
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 hamburger buns, toasted if desired
Instructions
- Make the Sauce – In a medium bowl, combine the tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and brown sugar, and set it aside.
- Cook the Beef – Place a large skillet or dutch oven over medium/high heat. Add olive oil and ground beef. Saute the beef for about 5 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink, breaking it up with a spatula. If you see extra fat on the bottom, tilt the pan and spoon it out or blot it up with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add vegetables – Stir in the diced peppers and onion. Cook another 5 minutes until the veggies are tender and beef is browned. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds until fragrant, stirring constantly.
- Add the sauce and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 10-15 minutes or until thickened to your liking. Adjust the seasoning taste* and add water if you prefer a looser consistency. Serve on toasted buns for Sloppy Joe Sandwiches.
Notes
- Too sweet? Add a pinch of salt or 1/ 2 tsp apple-cider vinegar
- Too Tangy? Add 1/2 tsp brown sugar or a drizzle of ketchup
- Too Tomato-y? Simmer an extra 5 min to concentrate flavors and caramelize sugars.
- Missing depth? Add extra Worcestershire.
- Too loose? Simmer uncovered 3-5 minutes to thicken
- Too thick? Add a splash of water
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Love Ground Beef Recipes? Try these:
- Slow Cooker Beef Chili
- Meatloaf
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Bolognese Sauce
- Lasagna
- Ground Beef Stroganoff
- Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
This is my go to Sloppy Joe recipe. I usually have most of the ingredients at home! I really love it!
So glad you love it, Carol! Thank you.
I have loved every one of your recipes that I’ve tried, Natasha — except this one. It did not have the WOW factor that I’ve come to expect from your recipes. Sadly, it was merely mediocre.
Hi Denise, I”m sorry to hear it didn’t hit the mark for you. Did you possibly make any substitutions to spices or flavorings? Tomato sauce has varying salt content so we always recommend seasoning to taste at the end – I hope that’s helpful for troubleshooting.
Forgot to mention…I did not add water. I pretty much followed the recipe as written with the exception of adding about 1 tablespoon more brown sugar and a sprinkle or two of Worcestershire sauce. Still the very best I have ever eaten…
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Looking for a recipe for Sloppy Joe’s for dinner so I was surfing Pinterest and did not pay attention to the author was… I should have guessed it was your recipe. Every recipe I make of yours is on point. NEVER a disappointment NEVER. These were the very best Sloppy Joe’s sandwiches I have eaten. Keep up the good work
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that lovely review with me, Ramella. I’m all smiles
I used half the tomato sauce and did everything else as written. Excellent! And fun to make.
Hi Dennis! I’m so glad you loved the recipe. Thanks for sharing.
YUM! I did add a tablespoon of tomato paste and an extra tablespoon of brown sugar, which made it perfect. It was even better the next day!
That’s wonderful, Lena! Thank you for sharing that with us. So glad you loved it.
I’m not sure about the comments of this recipe being bland….obviously everyone’s taste buds are different, but you know what your family like, so adjust as needed.
As for me and my family, I just added a bit more of the sauce ingredients and the taste was perfect for us. My son kept telling me how delicious the sloppy joes were. By the way, our kids have never eaten sloppy joes. This recipe was a winner!
Thank You and I will definitely cook this again!
Thank you for your comments and feedback. I agree with you, everyone’s taste buds are different but I also recommend adding more seasoning etc according to a person’s preference. I’m just glad that you enjoyed this recipe!
Extremely bland. I had to do some serious doctoring to this recipe. It honestly tasted like sweet tomato sauce. I ended up adding some apple cider vinegar, paprika, more Worcestershire, more brown sugar, and more mustard. I also added a little ketchup.
Hi Dana, we never had that issue before. It was never bland for us it was just right but feel free to add more seasoning according to your preference when you try it next time.
Thank you Natasha for a wonderful recipe!! It came out perfect! 🙂 The only changes I made was to not add water, and I made an equal replacement of tomato sauce with 1/2 cup chili sauce. Family loved it!
Oh that sounds terrific! Thank you for sharing that suggestion and I’m so glad your family loved the sloppy joe recipe!
I love Natasha and every recipe I have made until now. I found it way to tomato saucey
Hi Kathy, I’m sorry to hear this didn’t meet your mark. Did you make sure to simmer it down uncovered? If you keep it covered while simmering it can seem more saucy. I hope that helps.
Made this recipe tonight for my family and another family who just had a baby.
It was delicious!
For anyone saying “too bland”… here’s some suggestions:
-Use ketchup instead of canned tomato sauce
-add more worshire to taste
-add more brown sugar to taste
-I even added some BBQ sauce to taste!
-Once you drain the grease, and before you add the sauce, add more salt and pepper to taste (and that means, have a little taste!)
-simmer, simmer, simmer. The longer it simmers, the more the flavors combine together.
Hi Lauren! Thank you for sharing. I’m so glad it was enjoyed.
Very bland. Added more Worcestershire, mustard, brown sugar. Still bland. Will try to salvage considerable leftovers by adding ketchup. I am an experienced cook. Husband was disappointed and has asked me to just “stick with Manwich.”
Hi Jen, we never had that issue before. It was never bland for us it was just right but feel free to add more seasoning according to your preference when you try it next time.
I’m an experienced cook and found this recipe very lacking. I added vinegar, more Worcestershire, more brown sugar, more mustard. Still bland. My husband applauded my “from scratch” efforts but asked me to just go back to using Manwich. Very disappointing.
Hi Jen, we never had that issue before. It was never bland for us it was just right but feel free to add more seasoning according to your preference when you try it next time.
You put two negative comments about changing a recipe and your husband not liking it. You completely changed the flavor profile and it didn’t work. Congrats. You sound very “experienced”.
Can you freeze the leftover sloppy recipe or better yet make extra and freeze it
Hi Donna! Yes, you sure can. See my notes above under “make-ahead” for instructions on this. 🙂
Natasha, I think this recipe is the best! I’ve never enjoyed other Sloppy Joe recipes. They either tasted like Italian meat sauce or chili. Not very unique. Your recipe, resulting from the sauce, made it just perfect! Quick, easy tasty!
Reading through the reviews, I was fairly disappointed at the handful of people that were unnecessarily offensive. You’re a really good sport!
Cheers,
Cindy
Thanks, Cindy. I appreciate your kind words and support! I hope you’ll enjoy all the recipes that you will try.
Great recipe for a quick meal. As a novice, I am always grateful for simple, yet, very flavorful recipes that don’t take a lot of time to prepare. I don’t eat bell peppers, so added a bit more mustard to give it a little kick.
Hi Lee! I’m so glad you loved the recipe. Thank you for the feedback.
We have always liked celery in Sloppy Joes , is there any reason you do not add it, And if you did would you have any problem with freezing it.?
Hi Phyllis, I bet celery could work well here. It was our personal preference for us not to add it, but with adjustments, it should work well. We mentioned freezing steps in our Make-Ahead section of the recipe. I hope this helps!
This recipe is horribly bland as written. I had to add all kinds of things to give it any flavor, more brown sugar, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, ketchup. This recipe has no tang or zip at all. I added no water and it was very thin. I had to cook the moisture out of it to be able to serve it on buns. Thankfully I was able to tweak this basic recipe and make it taste good with a lot more seasoning.
Hi there, we never had that issue before. It was never bland for us it was just right but feel free to add more seasoning according to your preference when you try it next time.
“Save the sloppy Joe, save the world!” I think I speak for the rest of mankind when I say, Thank you KS. Your sharp taste buds and quick thinking with the spices averted a complete catastrophe. Kudos! Kudos!
Excellent recipe for sloppy joes. Family loved it. We like things spicy so I added some sriracha. Love how customizable this is. This will be my new sloppy Joe recipe. We like ours a little thicker so I opted out of the water. For one’s thinking it’s too runny-an easy fix for that is the corn starch method. It was perfect for our liking. Thanks! 😊
That’s a good idea to add some sriracha. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
These were so good!! I accidentally forgot the mustard though, woops!
Also my grocery delivery messed up my order, and sent me diced salt free tomatoes in a can vs tomato sauce.
I just blended them in the can with my immersion blender. Simmered for about 5 minutes, added a bit of extra salt to taste. I added some chili powder, smoked paprika, and 3/4 a can of tomato paste just to thicken it up since it was fairly watery.
Was fantastic night of. My six year old asked to take leftovers to school.
We had it a few days later on top of fries with some cheese on top and 👌👌
Will definitely be going into our regular rotation!!
Hi Sarah! That’s wonderful. I’m so glad you loved the recipe, thank you for sharing.
Just made this, it’s not great. Very bland! I had to dress it up A LOT!
Hi Nate, we never had that issue before. It was never bland for us it was just right but feel free to add more seasoning according to your preference when you try it next time.